Device for checking the creep of railway-rails.



' H. H. SPONENBURG. DEVICE FOR GHEGKING'THE 01mm OF RAILWAY RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED 001x20, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911'.

HIBAM H: SPONENBURG, F GURNBE, ILLINOTS, 'ASSIG-NOR TO OTTO B1. BARNETT,0F

' CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS;

DEVICE FDR GITECKING THE CREE]? 0F RAILWAY-RAILS.

flpecification of Letters Patent, Patented June 13, 191i.

Application filed October so, ieio. Serial no. 588,151.

To all whom it may 001mm:

Be it known that I, HIRAM H. SPONEN- nuns, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Gurnee, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forChecking the Creep of Railroad-Rails, of which the following is aspecification.

-My.invent1on relates to devices for checking th e tendency'of railroadrails to creep longitudinally, such devices being sometimes knijwnjasrail'stays, anchors or anti-creepers; 'and'the invention has for itsprimary object to provide a device for this purpose of new and improvedconstruction in which spring action is employed in 'securingthe de iicein clamping engagement with the 1'31 The invention has for furtherobjects the several novel constructions, arrangements and devices inappliances of the sort mentioned, hichwill be hereinafter describedsecured to a rail shown in section; Fig. 2 is a view, in pers ective, ofthe preferred form of springiemp .oyed to obtain the clamping action; Fi3' is a plan view of the parts shown in ig. 1; Fig. 4 is an illustrativeview, .some of the parts being shown'in elevation and others in section,demonstrating 5 the method of application of the device to.

the rail; and Fi 5 is a detail, in elevation,

showing a modi ed construct-ion of the jaw member. v 1 Like charactersof reference indlcate like 0 parts in the several figures of thedrawings.

"Referring to the drawings, A designates a railroad rail of ordinaryform, the base of which is'designated B.

G designates one of the cross ties on which the rail is-laid and againstwhich the applianee of my invention is shown as bearing when in itsoperative osition.

The rail sta of my invention, in the illustrative form'gown, consists ofa jaw member D which engages one edge of the rail base B; a heavy bowedor curved spring E formed at one end with a hook F and at the other endwith a similar hook G, the latter engaging with an undercut notch H inthe 5 under surface of the jaw member D; and a suitable tie abutmentshown as consisting of a flange I formed at the front edge of the jawmember D.

While the device is shown as so constructed as to simply bear againstone of the ties, it is obvious that itmight'be permanently secured oranchored thereto.

Instead of abutting against or being secured or anchored to the tie, thedevice might be made to so engage any other stationary, or relativelystationary, portion of the road bed.

If the jaw member is made of malleable iron or, other relatively softmetal it may be desirable to insert in its upper face a hard metal piecesuch as J- shown in the drawings, which is provided on its under surfacewith the teeth 7' adapted to bite into the rail base and which maybeheld in position by hammering over upon it the lugs d formed atopposite corners of the jaw member. The dotted lines designated d inFig. 3 show the original position of these lugs, their eventual positionbeing shown in the full lines.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of' jaw member. The jaw member Din this case, instead of being formed with n pocket for the end of thespring, is constructed on its under surface with a preferably undercutchannel extending from one side to the other of the jaw, this channelbeing designated H.

The method of application of the device to the rail is illustratedparticularly in Fig. 4. The jaw D is preferably driven tightly on therailwith a sledge hammer, the teeth j of the insert block J embeddingthemselves in the upper surface of the rail base. The hook G of thespring E is inserted in the pocket or slot in the under surface of thejaw member, the spring extending under the base of the rail. By applyinga crowbar against the bottom of the spring the spring may be expanded orstraightened out enough to allow the hook F to slip over the edge of therail base opposite the jaw member. The

part of the jaw member designated 71, (or it as the case may be) formsan abutment for the hook G so that when the spring is elongated it hasto elongate in the direction of the opposite sideof the rail base.

It will be noted that the hook F stands some distance away from the tieC. This is a preferred, although perhaps not an cs sential feature ofthe device. It is intended that the device be so constructed and itsparts so proportioned that a very strong grip is had on the rail, a gripsuflicient to eflectually prevent, when the device is abutted against atie or other stationary portion of the road bed, any creep of the rail.However, by arranging the abutment at one end of the device so that theother stands out of contact with the tie, any tendency of the rail tocreep, if such tendency be possible, is self checked by the consequenttwisting of the device toward the tie.

It will be readily understood that the principle of my invention mightbe embodied in various rail stays difiering structurally from the formofvdevice which I have chosen for purposes of illustration. For example,while I have shown one end of the spring engaging directly by means of ahook with an edge of the rail base opposite that embraced by the jawmember D, it will be clear to those familiar with this art that thisarrangement might be changed without departure from the fundamental ideaof my invention. I therefore do not limit myself to the variousparticulars of construction and arrangement shown and described exceptso far as such particulars are made limitations on certain of the claimsherein.

I am aware that rail stays have been constructed which employ torsionalsprings for effecting the clamping of the stays on the rail. A spring ofthe sort herein described, which is flexed along longitudinal lines,makes the device in which it is used more easily applied to the railthan are the devices using torsional springs. A rail stay constructed onthe principle of my invention maybe secured to the rail'by simplyflexing or bending the spring with a crowbar or other tool of this sort.I have used the word bowed as describing the spring in certain of theclaims. It will be understood that this term is used in a broad sense. Ido not conceive that it is absolutely necessary to form the spring onthe continuous v device is in operative position on the rail;

and means adapted to engage a stationary portion of the road bed.

2.-In a device of the character described, the combination of meansconstituting a rail clamp comprising a spring which is strained alonglines longitudinal thereof when the device is in operative position onthe rail; and means constituting a tie abutment, said tie abutment beingat one end of the device and the other end of the device standing awayfrom the tie against which said abutment bears.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of meansconstituting arail clamp comprising a jaw, and a spring which is adaptedto engage with said jaw and which is strained along lines longitudinalof said spring when the device is in operative position on the rail; andmeans adapted to engage a stationary portion of the road bed.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of meansconstituting a rail clamp comprising a jaw and a spring adapted toengage said jaw which is strained along lines ,longitudinal of saidspring when the device is in operative position on the rail; and a tieabutment formed on said 5. In a device of the character described, thecombination of means constituting a rail clamp comprising a jaw whichengages the rail base at one edge, and a spring adapted to be engaged atone end with said jaw and at the other end with the opposite edge of therail base and to be strained along longitudinal lines when in suchoperative position; and means adapted to engage a stationary portion ofthe road bed.

'6. In a device of the character described, the combination of meansconstituting a rail clamp comprising a bowed spring which is put under astraightening tension when said device is in operative position on therail; and means adapted to engage a stationary portion of the road bed.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of meansconstituting a rail clamp comprising a bowed spring which is put under astraightening tension when said device is in operative position on therail; and means constituting a tie abutment, said tie abutment bein atone end of said device and the other en standing away from the tieagainst which said abutment bears.

8. In a device ofthe character described, the combination of meansconstituting a rail clamp comprising a jaw and a bowed spring adapted toengage at one end with said jaw and being provided at the other-end withmeans whereby it is engaged with the rail base at the side opposite saidjaw; and means adapted to engage a stationary portion of the road bed.

9. In a device of the character described,

tie abutment, of a bowed spring adaptedzto v be engaged at one end withsaid jaw and at the other end with the edge of the rail base oppositesaid jaw.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination with a jaw,of a bowed spring formed with a hook at each end, .one of said hooksbeing adapted to engage with the jaw, the other with the edge of therail base opposite said jaw; and means adapted godengage a stationaryportion of the road 11. In a device of the character described, thecombination with a jaw formed on its under side with a notch, of a bowedspring formed at one end with a hook adapted to engage in said notch andprovided at the other end with means for engaging the side of the railbase opposite such jaw; said device being formed with means adapted toengage a stationary portion of the road bed.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination of meansconstituting a rail clamp comprising a jaw and. a spring, the springadapted to engage with said jaw and being provided with means whereby itmay be engaged with the rail at the opposite side from said jaw; andmeans constituting a tie abutment.

13. In a device of the character described, the combination with meansconstituting a rail clamp comprising a jaw, and a sprlng abutment, of aspring provided at one end with a hook adapted to engage said notch, andat the other end with a hook adapted to engage the rail base oppositesaid jaw.

15. In a device of the character described the combination of meansconstituting a raii clamp. comprising a jaw member and a bowed springextending under the rail base and having ahook adapted to en age withsaid jaw member, said jaw mem er being formed with a part which standsback of said hook forthe purpose described; and means adapted to engagea stationary portion of the road bed.

'HIRAM H. SPONENBURG. Witnesses:

P. H. TRUMAN,

H. L. PECK.

